Happy Thanksgiving, Freckles
by shegotofftheplane
Summary: "Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what"- Ernest Hemingway. OC Thanksgiving oneshot.


**hi there! this is a thanksgiving-inspired oneshot that has Leo and my OC, Rosie Reiger, in it. I'm still working on some chapters for my current work, Hell's Holding, but I felt inspired to write a Thanksgiving oneshot. As far as timeline, I'd like to think this takes place when Rosie and Leo are both at Wilderness, pre-Piper. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!**

* * *

Three knocks- that was Leo's knock.

Rosie groaned, turning over in her bed and burying her head under her pillow. She knew exactly what Leo was here for- and she wasn't falling for it.

"I'm not opening the door, Leo."

"Aw, come on, Freckles."

"I told you, I don't do holidays…"

That wasn't true at all- she loved holidays. Especially Thanksgiving- there was nothing she loved more than all the food and love surrounding the day.

However, this Thanksgiving was different. She wasn't home in her apartment, making cranberry sauce with her mom. Max was gone, no one to decorate their home with handprint turkeys and colored cornucopias. Buzz wasn't rattling off Thanksgiving facts, or defending his weird obsession with pecan pie. It was her first Thanksgiving at Wilderness- her "New World". She was alone, in a cold, unfamiliar dorm that smelled vaguely of moth balls and with a boy that she wasn't sure she was friends with, one she merely tolerated.

"But Charlie Brown, it's Thanksgiving!" came Leo's muffled voice through the door.

Rosie didn't respond, rolling her eyes and drawing the blanket closer around her.

Her silence did nothing to ward off Leo. The door slammed open, Leo humming as he walked in. In the few months she had known Leo Valdez, she had realized he was annoyingly persistent and unrelenting.

"Way to barge in," she muttered angrily, glaring at him.

He shot her a sheepish grin. "You gave me no choice!" He glanced at the other side of her room- her roommate's side. "Gabi went home?"

"Yep." Everyone at Wilderness had the option to go home for Thanksgiving- that is, if they had a home to go to.

"Perfect! More stuffing for us, then."

Rosie groaned. Wilderness had food set out for the strays left behind, their weak attempt at making today feel like a holiday. "I'm not going."

Leo shook his head, tsking under his breath. "Nope. This is non-negotiable. You know why, Freckles?" He launched himself onto her bed, Rosie wincing uncomfortably and sliding over. "Because I'm convinced that you and I are the last people left on the planet. And today ...today is Thanksgiving." Leo's face fell, his shoulders sagging. "I need...I just need someone to acknowledge that today is important."

Rosie gulped, silently chiding herself. She wasn't the only one alone on Thanksgiving- Leo was too. The only difference is that Leo was trying to make the most out of it.

"Alright. Let's go."

Leo perked up. "Seriously?"

"They better have stuffing."

They did-tons of it. She was shocked at the amount of food Wilderness had out, untouched and just sitting there.

Leo grinned at her, handing her a paper plate. "Perks of being the only people left on the planet."

She smiled at him, taking the plate from him. "I guess so."

"Turkey?" He asked, holding out the platter to her.

"Load me up with tryptophan."

Between the two of them, they filled up four paper plates with food: turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberries, various types of pie. Her stomach grumbled eagerly at the sight of it.

Leo wavered, balancing two of the plates. "What do you say- should we eat this on the roof?"

Rosie raised her eyebrows. "I really don't know you that well."

Leo paused. "I'm just now realizing how serial killer-y that sounded."

"I'm willing to forget it."

* * *

"What do you think Coach does on Thanksgiving?"

The two of them ended up back in Rosie's room, sitting on the floor with their impromptu Thanksgiving feast.

Leo paused, chewing his bread roll thoughtfully. "Dunno- probably disrupts any neighborhood football games while stuffing himself with candied yams."

Rosie giggled at the mental image of Coach chasing after some kids carrying a football. "Maybe the kids will pull a Lucy on him."

"Darn you rotten cupcakes!" Leo grumbled in his best Coach Hedge voice. "I'll make you do suicides for this!"

"And then the kids leave him there alone on the street."

Leo laughed gleefully, nodding.

Rosie laughed again. Leo's impression was spot on. Suddenly, her laughter stopped, as she furrowed her brow. "No ...no-I shouldn't laugh. No one should be alone on Thanksgiving. People...people should be with their families."

Leo's smile disappeared. "Yeah," He said softly. "With their families."

An awkward silence spread between the two of them.

"Leo?"

"Yeah?"

"How did you used to spend Thanksgiving?"

She was entering territory that was off-limits- neither of them discussed families. Ever. She knew vague details about Leo; he had spent some time in the foster system and some time on his own, like her. He knew she had a brother, and a little about her mother and Buzz.

A faraway look appeared in Leo's eyes, as he smiled down at the ground. "My mom...My mom and I would go to this restaurant for dinner."

"Do share more."

"It was a crawfish place."

Rosie grinned at him. "If that's not the most Houston thing I've ever heard."

"It's really not."

"Howdy."

Leo rolled his eyes at her, smirking. "The restaurant would be deserted-it was like we had the place to ourselves. We'd eat tons...and then go back to my mom's shop."

"She was a mechanic, right?"

Leo nodded. "She would open on Thanksgiving night- she'd always say that people's cars were bound to break down going home on Thanksgiving. She'd let me stay in the shop...in the back. We had this little TV we would watch in between customers. We'd always watch _Back to the Future_...the first one."

"Good choice."

"Yeah," he said, a sad smile on his face.

"I'm a pretty good second, though, right?" she said in gentle, joking tone, hoping it was comforting him. "As far as people to spend Thanksgiving with?"

He snorted softly. "Of course, Freckles." He paused. "What about you? What...what'd you do for Thanksgiving?"

She smiled as the memories flooded her mind."It was usually just the four of us: me, my mom, Buzz, and my brother. We would eat tons..I'm pretty sure I lived on the couch for a week after Thanksgiving. And...we'd play board games. I'm fiercely competitive, by the way."

"I believe it."

She could feel the tears brimming at the edges of her eyes. "My favorite was _Clue_. I'd make them play it over and over again...my mom would always accuse Colonel Mustard. Always- said she didn't like the look of him."

"I can see it. Something's off with that mustache."

"The murder weapon was always the candlestick," she whispered, brushing away a tear with the palm of her hand.

Leo's eyes met hers, and she knew with certainty that he understood exactly what she was feeling.

"Pretty good second, though?" He asked softly.

She nodded, giving him the tiniest of smiles. "Pretty good second."

Leo held out a slice of apple pie, the last thing left from their feast. "Wanna split it?"

"Of course."

"Happy Thanksgiving, Freckles."

"Happy Thanksgiving, Leo."


End file.
